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Monday, October 26, 2015

Lighted Glass Block Scarecrow

Happy Monday! It is another gorgeous fall day today and I hope you are enjoying the colors that this season brings. Today I would like to share a craft that has been a while in the making. Have you seen all the creative crafts people are making with these glass blocks?

Well, one of my sweet friends gave me two as part of a craft supply themed birthday gift last year, as she knew I would have fun creating something with them. The problem was that there were just so many wonderful possibilities, that I couldn't decide what to make. So they have sat among my supplies for months, but now that I am spending less time in the garden and yard, it seemed like the perfect time to finally utilize them in a project.

Since I have been in the mood for adding touches of autumn throughout the house, I decided that it was finally time to commit to a project and turn these glass blocks into something fun. So, I dug through my other boxes of supplies and pulled out my trusty glue gun some paint markers, raffia, burlap ribbon, twine, buttons and scraps of burlap and fabric that I had from previous craft endeavors. The only things that I had to purchase were 2 strands of decorative lights and some epoxy. I told my son about the idea I had and asked what adhesive he thought would be best to securely hold the 2 glass blocks together and he suggested this:

I had never used this before, but it was relatively inexpensive so I was willing to give it a try.

The first thing I did was use the paint markers to draw the face of a scarecrow on the square block. Then I filled both glass blocks with straw raffia and placed one strand of lights in each block.

Next, I used my glue gun to adhere the burlap ribbon around the sides of each block. I attached some buttons down the front of the rectangular block and used a small piece of jute rope to resemble a belt with a larger button acting as a buckle.

The next step was to use the epoxy that my son had recommended to attach the scarecrow head to the body. I was a little nervous that it might not work, but this adhesive is super strong and it held like a charm!

Using some scraps of burlap I created a hat for the scarecrow, and with a thin piece of plaid fabric I made a tie around his neck. For some finishing touches I added a leaf to his cap, attached some straw "hair" peeking out from under the hat, and hot glued some twigs for "arms" to his sides.

I decided to display him on a bookshelf that holds my cookbooks, and added some cute little pumpkins that I had made earlier this month (I'll show you how I made those later this week so be sure to check back)

This shelf is close to an outlet, so it is easy to plug this little guy in and let him cast a warm glow to light up the corner as the sun sets each day...

He is ready to welcome trick or treaters this weekend and his smile will continue to light up our room right through Thanksgiving.

Hi Mary, These blocks are actually made for crafting and have a round plastic stopper on one end. If you look closely you can see it at the top of the square block and the side of the rectangular block in the first pictures of the post. When I glued the blocks together I had the openings of both blocks between the head and body of the scarecrow. Since I glued the blocks with that super adhesive, I won't be able to replace the lights if they ever burn out, but given that I only have it plugged in for a short time each day for a short season, I am hoping the lights will last for several years. Thanks for stopping by my blog and taking the time to comment.